Albert Lea Fire Department would like to remind everyone that Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires. The average number of home fires on Thanksgiving Day is normally double the average number of fires in homes all other days.

Help keep the community safe by following these safety tips. This way, everyone can have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking — frying, broiling or boiling —  at high temperatures.

• Make your cooking area safe. Move things that can burn away from the stove. Turn pot handles toward the back so they can’t be bumped.

• Watch what you’re cooking. Use a timer when roasting a turkey or baking.

• Be prepared. Keep a large pan lid or baking sheet handy in case you need to smother a pan fire.

• Stay awake and alert while you’re cooking.If you see smoke or the grease starts to boil in your pan, turn the burner off.

• Prevent burns. Wear short sleeves when you cook, or roll them up. Don’t lean over the burner. Use potholders and oven mitts to handle hot cookware.

• Turkey fryers can easily tip over, spilling hot cooking oil over a large area.

• An overfilled cooking pot will cause cooking oil to spill when the turkey is put in, and a partially frozen turkey will cause cooking oil to splatter when put in the pot.

• Even a small amount of cooking oil spilling on a hot burner can cause a large fire.

• Without thermostat controls, deep fryers can overheat oil to the point of starting a fire.

• The sides of the cooking pot, lid and pot handles can get dangerously hot.

Visit the USFA website for more information on cooking and turkey fryer safety.

For more information, call the Albert Lea Fire Department, 507-377-4340.